In a talk I watched recently, the speaker began discussing how often people run away from the working world. Many of us don’t want to risk our current position in an effort to secure something better, and that can lead to stagnation and other woes. To explain this, the speaker introduced the Zone-beta paradox, and from the moment it was explained to me, I realized that it applied perfectly to my photography of the ages and Looks like I’m not alone.
What is the beta-region paradox?
The Area-beta paradox is the phenomenon that sometimes worse in the short term is better in the long run. Honestly, there’s no concise way to summarize this paradox without making it at least a bit confusing! I will give an example: if a person is quite unhealthy – a little overweight, a little sleep deprived, not drinking enough water – they may not be satisfied with the situation, but it is not a disaster. . However, if they become very unhealthy – obese, rarely get enough sleep, frequently dehydrated – they are more likely to realize that something has to change. Real life examples are helpful in explaining this paradox: If someone is doing a job they don’t love, they’re more likely to stay in that job and not look for a job they love. DO Love. Conversely, if a person’s job is too bad, they are more likely to quit and find a better job.
What do these situations have in common? Sometimes worse is better. It’s paradoxical, of course, but it makes a lot of sense. If something isn’t bad enough to warrant action, it’s likely to do more harm than a worse situation that affects change. I can think of that many times in my life, including in the working world. I had a mid-paying job in my twenties and while I didn’t hate the position, it wasn’t what I wanted for myself. It took three and a half years for my job to begin to affect how unhappy I was with my health and so I found a way to leave and pursue what I wanted. Why? Because it wasn’t annoying enough before that point.
So how does this apply to photography?
Regional Paradox-Beta and Photography
At first glance, the concept doesn’t fit well with photography; If taking pictures makes you uncomfortable or unhappy, don’t do it. However, this paradox also applies to situations that are not inherently negative. In fact, the example given in Daniel Gilbert’s paper offers the following used paradox: “…consider a commuter who has the habit of walking to destinations within a mile of each other: from their point of origin and cycle to more distant destinations Since cycling is faster, passengers will get to some distant destinations faster than to closer destinations (regional beta in the diagram). their maps), reversing the normal trend to arrive at more distant locations later.” The paradox is then applied to health and many other situations.
As for photography, it applies to how well the photographer is progressing in their craft. When anyone starts taking pictures, there is a typical state of excitement we all go through when we find something new and exciting. You know you’re a complete amateur and you’re learning so much fast, which is so rewarding. This naturally subsides and you can then stagnate without conscious effort to fight it. Around that time, the first instance of the Area-beta paradox could reappear. For example, you may have tried many new techniques and learned because you feel as though you know nothing about the subject, but as your knowledge increases, you become more complacent about it. , so you put less effort into learning. If you’re trying to reach new heights and it’s hard with your skill level, you’ll try to improve, but if you’re not annoyed enough with your ignorance, then you probably won’t. Therefore, it would be better if you were less satisfied with your job.
My Experience of the Paradox
When I first heard about this phenomenon, I thought twice in my life that it had been applied. The first is with a full-time job that I am not satisfied with, and the second is as a professional photographer, but for a completely different reason. Some readers may know that I have photographed watches for advertisements and magazines. I’ve always been interested in macro photography, and so one day, quite unexpectedly, I came up with the idea of finding paid work in watch photography because horology is my passion. My initial work is fine, although boring and full of small bugs, but I want to be in production Great pictures of these watches.
I can’t stop pursuing creating memorable images. I had someone shoot a flamethrower at a watch while I photographed it (pictured above), I took a watch to the edge of a glacier during a blizzard in Iceland and I created a macro stack About the movement of the watch includes more than 100 images. I have been keen to showcase watches in a way that is rarely done, whether that means in a dangerous and ridiculous setting or pushing for photographic techniques to see what is possible.
Honestly, looking back, this paid dividends. It’s not hard to find extra work when I’m creating the most interesting work I can, and I think the reason is twofold: the images are “rare” and more eye-catching, even if they aren’t perfect. and I was confident and proud of my work. Then somewhere along the lines, I started to settle down. Companies would send me their watches and I could create powerful images of them without pushing myself. The customer is satisfied and I – and this is the key here – are not. That is, I’m not happy because I feel like I have more to offer, but I’m not upset because I get paid to consistently create these images.
As a result, it’s better if the work dries up, leaving me stressed about replacing that income stream, or I become unsatisfied with the work I’m creating. Both situations will be worse in the short term, but better for my work in the end. Instead, I relaxed for a while until I got sick of the work I was creating and needed to push myself forward. Although I was finally motivated enough to make a change, waiting for the breaking point was not the best outcome in a protracted struggle.
So as photographers, we need to ask ourselves: is our photography in Beta-Zone? Are you satisfied with the photos you are taking and honestly, are you pushing yourself to create great photos? If that’s the case, then instead of waiting until you feel unsatisfied with the profession (which could even lead to you giving up altogether), adjust your course now and take action. .
